Last year, on behalf of Elwood Writers, Barry Lee Thompson and I had the pleasure of judging submissions to the American Writers Review (AWR) annual literary contest. The editor of San Fedele Press, D Ferrara, themed the 2025 entries to both contest and anthology as ‘Buyers’ Remorse’. Writers these days are encouraged to be good literary citizens, … Continue reading Join the 2026 AWR Contest: ‘The Truth Will Set You Free’
Princess Diaries
Sifting through my online lit news, one writer’s anecdote caught my eye. An Australian magazine had invited authors to respond to the prompt: ‘What I Wish I’d Known about Writing’. Shirley Le, whose work I’m not yet familiar with, had a visceral response. When she first announced publicly that she wanted to write, her cousin … Continue reading Princess Diaries
A Change is Gonna Come*
"Live like a mighty river. Freedom and happiness are found in the flexibility and ease with which we move through change." This sentiment, attributed to the Buddha, becomes more relevant for me as I grow older. If I Iearned one thing during Lockdown, it's that everything changes all the time. And so it is with … Continue reading A Change is Gonna Come*
Stories, Songs and the Post Office in Harlem
December 2025 marked the fifth anniversary of Every Second Tuesday, the anthology released by Elwood Writers in 2020. In the middle of a crazy lockdown – particularly tough in Melbourne – my group launched its book through an online event with Readings books. One story included was my personal essay 'The White Woman’, written after a … Continue reading Stories, Songs and the Post Office in Harlem
Stories of Change and Place
The interconnection between change and place became more apparent to me once I'd finalised my piece for Tim McQueen’s program on Vision Australia Radio (VAR). In preparing with Elwood Writers for Cover to Cover, I better understood that change happens all the time – no matter our resistance – but that it always occurs in place, … Continue reading Stories of Change and Place
Radio Stars
UK author and media personality Richard Osmond recently announced on his own podcast that audio books are the fastest-growing format in the publishing industry. The reason being that you can listen to an audio book while driving, gardening, lulling yourself to sleep or even … ironing! In other words, you are free to multitask – … Continue reading Radio Stars
Buy Now, Regret Later – a literary contest
We've all done it. Experienced buyer's remorse, that is. That pair of '70s bell bottoms you thought you looked so good in, but rarely fitted into. The gifts you've stored for years for which you've never found a suitable recipient. A life - maybe - you've bought into, but since wondered about. What about when … Continue reading Buy Now, Regret Later – a literary contest
Books, Bans, and the Battle for the Soul of a Nation
Persimmon Tree is a US literary publication for women over the age of sixty. (I just qualify!) Recently the magazine called for subscribers to offer their thoughts on ‘The Assault on the Cultural and Intellectual Life of America’. As my country, Australia, has just emerged from a spirited national election, in which the vote shifted … Continue reading Books, Bans, and the Battle for the Soul of a Nation
The Inspirational ‘Write’ Spot
My writing group recently went on a retreat to rural Victoria. The three of us booked a house overlooking a forest and we took along our mascot, Ruby the dog, for added company. The dedicated time away felt to me like being on a big, peaceful sailing ship travelling through tranquil waters. All we had … Continue reading The Inspirational ‘Write’ Spot
The (Emotional) Cost of Writing
Memoirists might agree that the cost of writing is high. Yet, on the other hand, totally worth the price we pay. Deborah Levy’s book The Cost of Living is notable for its technique, as exemplified in the ambiguity of the title. If the cost of living our lives economically features in every other newspaper headline, then … Continue reading The (Emotional) Cost of Writing
WRITINGS AND MUSINGS OF MARGARET MCCAFFREY 